Yossi Benayoun was our best player on the night, he never stopped working for the team and tried to keep the ball moving for us. He needed another similar player. He needed Tomas Rosicky or Mikel Arteta so we could keep the ball. His goal was very well executed and he deserved it.
Arsene was saying that this group of players would be more likely to give a better account of themselves as they have something to prove and I guess he is right. They certainly did not look like pushovers against Manchester City last week and I expect them to give it a good go tonight. With the pressure off, hopefully the youngsters will go and express themselves without the fear of making
In our last game against Fulham, we saw a lot of tired legs and today's game is a real opportunity to rest key players. The likes of RvP, Theo, Ramsey, Arteta, Song, Santos, Mertesacker and Vermaelen would all be rested. A week's rest can do our key players a world of good so it is definitely welcomed! Wenger in his Presser said there will be a mixture of experience and youth. Experience we all know would come in the likes of Arshavin, Benayoun, Park, Chamakh, Gervinho, Koscielny and Djourou while for the youth we would see the likes of Coquelin, Frimpong, Miquel,
You want Arshavin to be in Gervinho's positions but Arshavin doesn't get into Gervinho's positions. Theo Walcott on the other side started slowly but got much better as the first half went on. When he found his stride, he was the most dangerous player on the pitch. Direct, aggressive and purposeful
This is why, at the time of Arteta’s signing many fans (myself included) were still looking at Mata and wondering what might have been. Arteta is quality player, but he’s not regarded as the potential world beater that Mata is – evidenced, perhaps, by the inclusion of one and not the other in the national team. Young Juan is a tricky, skilful little game changer you could consider building a team around and though our own Spaniard possesses some of that ability himself, his expertise has really shined through this season when keeping it simple. Also Arteta is a lot older than Mata, with a lot less room
Walcott was not finished there as minutes later he received Gervinho's pass and dummied his right foot shot much in the way his idol Thierry Henry did on so many occasions, his left footed curler look destined for the back of the net but for an amazing last ditch flying clearance from Russell Martin
Walcott expanded lots of energy in our win and was a real outlet when we bombed forward. Our direct style seems to suit his play. Another thing I noticed in his game is that he is more confident in his
I think we all saw the difference in technique during the recent under 21s tournament where Stuart Pearce's team failed miserably. It is little wonder that the country is still short in the technique department when people like Tony Pulis and his ilk are being lauded for their direct style of football